The Yin and Yang of Creating
By Robert Fritz
Yin and Yang, the idea of opposite but complimentary forces,
has been popular in the West for many years now. Emerging from many Eastern
traditions, it seems like a universal principle that is built into the fabric of
the world. As in the Robert Frost poem West Running Brook, (a brook that is
running in the opposite direction of all the other brooks which are running
East):
It must be the brook
Can trust itself to go by contraries
Frost goes on to show how the nature of things is always
something in contrast to itself, and that this dynamic is the source of life,
"It is from that in water we were from long, long before we were from any
creature."
Yin and Yang is a phenomenon in which a whole divides itself
into two contrasting parts of itself: winter/summer, masculine/feminine, vacuum/
that which fills the vacuum, sun/moon, forceful/yielding, and so on. Of course,
the idea of Yin and Yang is found most often in philosophy and religions such as
Hinduism, Sikhism, Taoism, Buddhism, the I-Ching, and there is even a Western
version of it in the Kabala. As a philosophical concept, Yin and Yang helps one
understand the workings of the world through a universal principle. But when we
think about the creative process, we can go beyond understanding into the realm
of how to use Yin and Yang as an approach to creating.
The creative process is dimensional, not linear. That is to
say, while some aspects of the creative process are sequential – first the
vision, then current reality, then the action steps, etc. — other aspects
happen simultaneously. And one thing that is simultaneous is creating's Yin to
its Yang.
The Yang is the thrust of the creative process, focused on
driving forward to realize and accomplish a specific outcome, perhaps a piece of
music, a film, a building, a business, a product, some technology, etc. This
element is highly focused, directive, active, generative, and goal oriented.
But the Yin within the context of this vigorous drive is a
yielding open space, a vacuum, a kind of nothingness in which something may
enter. It is non-directive and receptive.
Certainly this can be easily seen as the contrast between the
masculine and feminine principles. But, as is usually the case, metaphors can
give us the wrong impression by being close to what they are trying to express,
without the precision needed to express it.
When we create, we are doing two things that can seem
opposite. We are actively focusing the creative process toward a particular aim,
the full manifestation of the vision, while, at the same time, allowing
ourselves to be aimless and non-directive. We are narrow and wide, active and
passive at the very same time. Examples of this state are found when we watch
Tiger Woods play golf, or see the Rolling Stones perform, or view great actors,
surgeons, writers, dancers, project managers, race car drivers, fighter pilots,
Olympic athletes, and so many more professionals. These people have mastered the
art of being completely focused, while at the same time, completely relaxed.
Too often people obsess on only one of the two parts of the
Yin/Yang equation. Some make a point of being open and aimless to the point of
not having an outcome in mind. Go with the flow, don't try to control, let it
all hang out, wait for inspiration to hit. Others are will-power freaks, trying
to overcome obstacles, attempting to stay positive, and trying to use
determination and “commitment” to forge their way to success.
Neither approach can be productive. We need to have both
elements, which means to narrow our attention on what we are creating, while, at
the very same time, broaden our awareness to allow unimagined insight to
surface.
Some people have created systems in which one is supposed to
handle these two opposite gestures in sequence: first you are focused, and then
you let go, and then you focus again. This type of system, while well
intentioned, misses the non-sequential, multi-dimensional, and simultaneous
co-existence of both active and passive. You need both control and lack of
control to occur at once.
In music, there is a technique called circular breathing. You
breathe in and out at the very same time. Because swing legend Tommy Dorsey
could do this, he could hold a note forever it seemed. He would breathe in
through his nose while simultaneously breathing out from his mouth. And
while this technique is simply an example of doing two opposite things at once,
it can give us the impression of how useful it is to be able to do two opposite
things simultaneously.
When we create, we can be both actively involved in the
dynamic decision making process, with high levels of control, while at the very
same time, be in a state of relaxation, passively receptive, relinquishing
control, and able to let go of the vision we are so hotly pursuing.
While both the Yin and the Yang co-exist, sometimes we are
more focused on one aspect than the other. And we may shift our attention often.
Yet a true balance of both aspects of the Yin/Yang principle are in play the
entire time, always playing an equal role in the creative process.
© 2009 Robert Fritz
Updated: 10/24/10